energy efficient homes

[bryonbush]

if everything works out, we will find out if the bank accepted our offer on a home were buying. its a 2006 with around 1700 square ft. so not huge and its pretty new so making a house E.E. should have been in the mind of the builders at this time in age. im a huge fan of ways to make your home more energy efficient and when living in michigan, we did a pretty good deal of things that made a huge difference. but this is texas and the main thing is keeping the cold in and heat out; the exact opposite of MI. so what advice can you offer for things to do to make our house E.E. down here in TX?

 

[robin303]

What do yo want to know. Built many houses and know the codes and the tricks of the trade.

 

[Texas1911]

if everything works out, we will find out if the bank accepted our offer on a home were buying. its a 2006 with around 1700 square ft. so not huge and its pretty new so making a house E.E. should have been in the mind of the builders at this time in age. im a huge fan of ways to make your home more energy efficient and when living in michigan, we did a pretty good deal of things that made a huge difference. but this is texas and the main thing is keeping the cold in and heat out; the exact opposite of MI. so what advice can you offer for things to do to make our house E.E. down here in TX?

Low-E glass is key, but windows are pricey to change out. Alot of the modern houses have these though. Shades on the windows can also help with the thermal transmittance by cutting down on the amount of light.

Radiant barrier in the roof decking helps to avoid the midday warming by containing the heat at the decking. It's something that can be installed, if not already on the roof decking. Adding another inch or two of insulation can be beneficial, but frankly I'm not sure it's cost worthy.

Sealing up the house, like for Northern homes does the same benefit, but I caution you on this because sealing up the house also invites mold issues. You do need some degree of ventilation in our humid climate.

Attic vents, ridge vents, attic fans, etc. are all valid options for reducing attic temps in conjunction with radiant barrier and ceiling insulation. Cost of installation can be expensive however, as you'd need to cut out the end truss / framing and frame a header in. If the house was stick framed, that will require you to size a beam accordingly, generally a 5.50" Glulam would suffice for such a short span. You'd need to double stud under it to the sill plate. You may consult an engineer regarding this change.

Go through your HVAC system and check for areas of improvement. Chase all the ducting and look for leaks or kinks in the line. Hard angles create eddys and turbulance which isn't good for flow. You can insulate the ducting itself if you feel the OEM ductwork isn't sufficient. Generally speaking, the volume of air being displaced through the ducting is high enough that insulation won't do much, not unless it's being significantly heated (130+).

Make sure your heat exchanger for the HVAC has sufficient airspace and is shaded. Increasing the efficiency of the heat exchanger will have large effects on the longevity of the A/C unit and it's performance. If it's full of leaves and has no real airspace, then the unit will be running at reduced efficiency.

Plant trees ... they not only increase land value, but they will eventually shade the property and reduce conductive heating.

 

[coachrick]

Plant trees ... they not only increase land value, but they will eventually shade the property and reduce conductive heating.

+1 for the trees! We are fortunate to have large Live Oaks on the east and west of our house(and can't imagine how hot it would be without them!). Even without any sort of radiant barrier on the roof deck, the HVAC guys who work in the attic can't believe how mild the attic temp is. I believe shade is your first line of defense against Texas heat. 105 degrees is bad enough without the sun beating down on your roof and windows!

I'd be all over a radiant barrier for any new roof construction. There are also roofing materials that are more hail resistant as well as energy efficient. Unfortunately, these are pretty spendy but might be worth it if you don't have to replace your roofing materials every 5 years(which is what has happened in out neighborhood, given the storms over the past few years).

Back to the sun, if you have exposed windows(no shading), look into 'solar screens'. Basically a way of keeping the direct sunlight from hitting your windows. Could be a low-cost addition to EE windows IF you have windows that receive direct sunlight.

Also, our garage doors receive direct late-afternoon sun. After installing garage door insulation, we enjoyed a 10 degree lower garage temp during the summer(which lasts 5 months, BTW). Our doors have since been replaced with 'factory' insulated units and we really enjoy the cooler temps in the garage as well as quieter, more solid doors. DIY kits could run anywhere from <$100 to $300 for a double door. A cooler garage would also benefit the areas adjacent to the garage space(not to mention keeping your tools and chemicals at more moderate temps).

Good luck with the house!

 

[bryonbush]

thanks for the advice fellas. right now im looking for cheap DIY tricks and bigger investments with time. Ive read about putting insulation in the roof rafters which will help keep the attic heat down. also looking into an attic vent because thats something that is relativly cheap and i can do that myself. ive also been looking into solar pannels to run the entertainment center to start and then expand into bigger items in the house. has anyone istalled solar pannels in their house?

 

[coachrick]

Your attic should have adequate venting as part of the original construction. Of course, that means soffit venting that matches exhaust venting, whether it's ridge venting or individual. The convection principle is what moves the air...many folks claim that the return on investment on any sort of powered venting(even solar) is way down the road, since passive venting 'should' do the job(and it's free after initial install). It's been said that the insulation between the attic space and the living space is much more cost effective than roof deck insulation. Of course, if you have other reasons for wanting the attic cooler, that must factor into the decision.

There are plenty of solar panels down here in Austin, but I have no experience with them. PEC serves us in north-north Austin and didn't offer the killer rebates that Austin Energy has on solar panels.

Keep in mind that the tax credit on 'green' improvements ends this Dec 31. You MAY be able to deduct 30% of materials costs up to $1500 total deduction(as a tax credit). Not all energy efficient improvements qualify and installation costs are not included. IMO, if the attic floor is open and will not be used for storage, etc., adding insulation to the attic floor is the easiest and most cost effective way to keep the attic heat out of the living space.